"A Yan, thank you for spending my birthday with me."
After cheerfully blowing out the candles, Qin Yaoyao only cut a small piece of the cake. She ate it in small mouthfuls with a fork while propping her chin with the other hand, looking utterly happy.
Xiao Yanzhi looked gentle, and even the emotions in his eyes were calm. One could hardly detect any impatience in him.
"Do you want a piece too?" Qin Yaoyao blushed a little when she noticed him staring at her. She offered him a piece of the cake voluntarily. "Try it. The pastry chef is really good."
Xiao Yanzhi replied, "Sure."
Qin Yaoyao smiled and chatted with him. "Although the cake is delicious, it's high in fat and calories. I can't eat too much. I need to watch my figure."
"I once read an interview with Jiang Li. She never seems to eat sweets or high - calorie food. She's really self - disciplined to maintain her figure."
Hearing this, Xiao Yanzhi paused for a moment.
In his memory, Jiang Li rarely ate sweets. She had to avoid cakes because of her dairy allergy.
Seeing Xiao Yanzhi lost in thought, Qin Yaoyao regretted bringing up Jiang Li. She quickly changed the topic. "Eating cake is the most ritualistic thing to do on special occasions."
Xiao Yanzhi still kept his head down and asked out of the blue, "Why?"
"Why?" Qin Yaoyao blinked. "I don't know. Maybe it's just a convention."
"For some special occasions, like weddings or banquets, people always eat cake."
As he listened, Xiao Yanzhi's eyes gradually darkened.
In the past four years, Jiang Li not only had no preference for sweets but also rarely celebrated anything.
Even on the night when she won the Golden Feather Award, she didn't celebrate with others. She just sat alone in a corner, lost in thought.
She seemed out of place in the lively atmosphere.
People who didn't know her might think she was naturally cold - hearted.
But Xiao Yanzhi still remembered that Jiang Li wasn't like this before.
She was innocent by nature, with a pair of clear eyes free of any impurities. She was especially serious when acting or shooting.
When she achieved small successes in acting, she would cheer like a little girl, eager to tell the whole world.
Especially when she looked at him, her moist eyes would be a little shy besides being nervous.
It always made people want to kiss her.
When he came back to reality, he realized that he had unconsciously taken out a cigarette.
"A Yan, are you in a bad mood?" Qin Yaoyao's voice finally reached his ears. "Why do you suddenly want to smoke?"
Qin Yaoyao could tell that Xiao Yanzhi had been obviously absent - minded just now.
"I just remembered I have something to do." He suddenly stood up, put the cigarette case back into his pocket, and glanced at his wristwatch. "Get some rest early."
"Also, happy birthday."
He spoke very quickly, more like a perfunctory routine.
After saying that, he got up and left without any hesitation. He was quick and decisive.
"A Yan..." Qin Yaoyao didn't expect him to leave so suddenly. Her eyes showed a bit of panic. "Where are you going? Can't you stay with me tonight?"
Xiao Yanzhi didn't stop walking. "I still have some work to finish. I need to solve it tonight." He said without blinking. "It's already late. Go to sleep early."
Although the words were concerned, there was an obvious and strong sense of oppression.
Although his expression didn't change at all, the aura he emitted still made people fall silent.
His mind was made up, and he wouldn't allow her to persuade him to stay.
Qin Yaoyao was left alone in the luxurious villa. She looked down at the more - than - half - eaten cake. The wooden fork in her hand was creaking under her grip.
He left again.
Qin Yaoyao was going crazy.
She kept replaying what had just happened in her mind. Suddenly, she noticed that the man's attitude started to change after she mentioned Jiang Li.
Thinking of this, Qin Yaoyao swallowed hard. She clenched the cake plate with both hands. The sweet taste in her mouth was gone.
A flash of hatred crossed her eyes.
---
After leaving the villa, Xiao Yanzhi loosened his tie.
Sitting in the car, Xiao Yanzhi pondered for a while and then called Xue An. His voice was deep and low.
"Send me the address of the latest - closing cake shop in Beicheng."
...
By the time Xiao Yanzhi bought the cake at a high price and drove to Jiang Li's current residence, it was already half past eleven.
He carried the cake box in his hand, got into the elevator with ease, and stopped in front of Jiang Li's door. He bent his fingers slightly, and his slender knuckles gently knocked on the door.
There was no response.
Xiao Yanzhi wasn't in a hurry. He waited patiently.
Just as he was about to knock on the door again, two words came from inside the room:
"Who is it?"
She must have been woken up from sleep. Her voice was soft and charming.
Xiao Yanzhi's Adam's apple rolled. His voice was still calm. "Open the door."
His voice was always recognizable. These two steady words had already revealed his identity.
Reading the script was tiring, so Jiang Li had gone to bed before eleven. Now that she was woken up by the knocking, she was a bit grumpy.
She had just walked into the living room when she heard Xiao Yanzhi's voice. She was stunned for two seconds. The drowsiness that had been with her just now disappeared completely. She closed her eyes again.
He really was a master of time management.
She walked over slowly and opened the door.
Xiao Yanzhi was wearing a black overcoat. There was still a touch of cold air on his collar. The cold air hitting her face made Jiang Li more awake.
It seemed that he had rushed here all the way.
"Good evening, Mr. Xiao."
Jiang Li was calm. She didn't show any annoyance or displeasure at being woken up. She just looked at him for a while and then said with a smile, "Did you finish celebrating Qin Yaoyao's birthday?"
Although it was just an ordinary sentence, one could read a thousand different meanings from it.
Xiao Yanzhi preferred to interpret it as her being jealous.
He lowered his eyes and looked at her for a while. His usually calm and serious face was rarely tinged with a bit of gentleness. "Didn't you win an award today?"
Jiang Li stood up straight. Her lazy eyes fell on what he was holding in his hand.
It was a beautiful square transparent box with a rose - colored ribbon around it. It looked like a cake.
"You should celebrate when you win an award." Xiao Yanzhi's voice was gentle. "I bought you a cake."
Seeing her look stunned, Xiao Yanzhi added casually, "It doesn't contain the ingredients you're allergic to. You can eat it."
Jiang Li's heart suddenly twitched.
But then she thought that he had gone to celebrate Qin Yaoyao's birthday tonight. Maybe this cake was just a casual purchase for her.
Thinking of this, her disturbed mind calmed down a bit. She smiled at the man in front of her without showing any extra emotions.
"Rarely is Mr. Xiao so thoughtful, but I don't like sweet food."
Xiao Yanzhi said casually, "You don't like it, but you don't hate it either."